“Our pediatrician referred us to Sophie when Noah was three months old and we noticed that he couldn’t turn his head all the way and was developing a flat spot on the back of his head. She diagnosed his torticollis/plagiocephaly and started physical therapy right away. Because of the severity, we had two sessions a week. It was great that she did one of the sessions at the UCLA Infant Development Program, which is the on-campus faculty daycare, so that his caregivers could learn how to do the stretches and position his head while he slept. The torticollis and plagiocephaly resolved and Sophie noted that Noah also had gross motor delay, so we transitioned to general physical therapy in order to get him to sit, crawl and eventually walk. Noah was eventually diagnosed with global developmental delay, and she’s so knowledgeable about young children’s development that she worked with his speech therapist and was able to incorporate some speech therapy during physical therapy.”
“Through it all, Sophie was so supportive and encouraging, always focusing on what Noah could do rather than what he couldn’t. We couldn’t have asked for a better physical therapist for him, and now in my own pediatric practice in Santa Monica, all of us refer our patients to her.”
Alice Kuo, MD, PhD
Director, UCLA Medicine-Pediatrics Comprehensive Care Center
Chief, UCLA Medicine-Pediatrics Section
Program Director of the UCLA Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency Program
Associate Professor, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Associate professor, Health Services at UCLA School of Public Health
“I first met Sophie many years ago, when she was establishing her private practice as a pediatric physical therapist. She has a passion and interest for working with newborns and infants. Most PT providers treat the general population for all conditions and ages, including geriatrics. A provider who is a Pediatric PT typically works with children up to 18 years old for a broad variety of diagnoses.”
“Sophie’s practice is unique in that she specializes in working with newborns and infants. Thus, she has developed expertise in clinical handling skills and clinical insights with this population. For many infant conditions, especially those that are time-sensitive for treatment, effective early intervention with a highly experienced infant physical therapist can make a big difference in clinical outcomes. Sophie stays up-to-date with current research and clinical development. She also implements evidence-based practice. I strongly recommend her as a highly competent clinician.”
John M. Graham, Jr. MD, ScD
Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics and Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Physician Specialist and Consulting Medical Geneticist, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Former Director of Clinical Genetics and Dysmorphology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Former Director of Clinical Training for Medical Genetics Fellowship Training Program
“I have worked as a community-based lactation consultant in private practice for the past 30 years. The babies who come to see me present with a variety of feeding challenges. Babies who may have torticollis often do not feed well and their mothers will frequently experience very painful nipples, making breastfeeding an unpleasant experience. I have found Dr. Sophie Tritasavit to be a tremendously valuable referral for these babies. Dr. Tritasavit has worked wonders in solving these feeding challenges. Her competent and calming demeanor is greatly appreciated by my clients. I highly recommend Dr. Tritasavit to any family who has an infant with suspected torticollis.”
Wendy Haldeman, MN, RN, IBCLC
Co-founder, The Pump Station & Nurtury
“Working in the field of developmental disabilities, I have spent countless hours with parents who are searching for the right treatment for their children, and I know how hard it is to find a professional who you can trust and count on. My own son was diagnosed with left congenital muscular torticollis and moderate plagiocephaly at 12 weeks old, and when I was referred to Sophie I had no idea what to expect or how to resolve his condition. My first phone call to Sophie lasted almost an hour, and I immediately felt comfortable with her and knew we would be in good hands. Seeing Sophie meant a long, hour and a half drive with an infant each week because we lived far away, but it was always worth it. She did a very thorough initial assessment, and developed a treatment plan. Each week Sophie would assess my baby’s progress and help me troubleshoot any barriers I was having with his treatment. She has a unique and extremely effective method of positioning the infant to help resolve the plagiocephaly, while coaching the parent through exercises to treat the underlying cause of the problem (torticollis). My son’s plagiocephaly was completely resolved after 2 months just through positioning and Sophie’s prescribed stretching and strengthening exercises. Tristan has been long discharged. Now at almost 14 months, my son is walking and has met all of his motor milestones.”
“I am so grateful for Sophie’s expertise and the care she had for both me and my son. Sophie was gentle and playful so that my baby was always comfortable, and she was reassuring and supportive to me as the parent. I absolutely recommend Sophie to every parent seeking physical therapy for their baby, she is simply the BEST.”
Ariella Parker, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Board Certified Behavior Analyst- Doctoral)
Clinical Director, STAR of CA (Pediatric Behavioral and Psychological Services)
“We are so happy with the care that we received from Sophie. First and foremost, our baby loved her and smiled whenever he saw her. She was kind and gentle but also straightforward and professional. She was very clear and helpful with her exercises and continuously updated her approach with his improvements. She was patient and understanding with both child and parent. Her detailed reports and follow through were exceptional. We had been to another pediatric physical therapist prior to Sophie, but we didn’t feel confident in the care or the directions we received and we felt our questions and concerns were not appropriately addressed.”
“Our experience with Sophie not only exceeded that of our previous therapist, but also our expectations in general. We would recommend her highly.”
Alissa Duel, Barry Duel, MD
Associate Director of Pediatric Urology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
“Our son started therapy with Sophie as a newborn. We were so nervous about treating his torticollis and doing the right thing for our son! Sophie was amazing- she was so gentle with him and if any exercise didn’t seem comfortable for him (or us) she helped us find another way to make sure he was getting the stretching and therapy he needed without discomfort.”
“We looked forward to our sessions with Sophie and our son benefited tremendously. We had excellent results. We do not hesitate to highly recommend Dr. Sophie and Early Start Pediatric PT!”
Jenna Sans-Agero, Chris Sans-Agero
Paramedic and Firefighter of Los Angeles Fire Department
“Meeting Sophie was such a blessing for our family, as my daughter had undiagnosed torticollis and at six months of age Sophie evaluated her and let us know exactly how crucial immediate treatment was. She did such a thorough evaluation, taking very detailed photos that measured the deviation, and educated us regarding all that we could expect. Being a critical care registered nurse I tend to ask many questions, and found her to be incredibly knowledgeable.”
“The best part of working with Sophie, however, was her demeanor and ability to work with my daughter in a kind and playful way. She was clear in letting us know exactly what exercises needed to be done at home to keep us progressing, and always was available via email or phone for any questions or just for general support. Sophie also went above and beyond when she noticed an issue with my daughter’s foot and called in a colleague to evaluate her, at no charge, and also accompanied us to the orthopedist once we were seen, again at no additional charge. Sophie quite obviously loves children and what she does, and we couldn’t have asked for a more supportive therapist to get us all through this trying time. My daughter reached full recovery and has done very well since.”
Elizabeth Floch, RN
Healthcare Advisor, Pinnacle Care International
Former Critical Care Nurse
“Thank you for the wonderful work and support you provided me while working with my 4 month old son. During the earlier months, I had some concerns regarding his gross motor development, neck positioning, and his ability to reach the developmental milestones for his age. With your support, you provided a professional atmosphere for us to learn new techniques and apply your exercises at home. I loved that you provided me with handouts and both verbal and measurable means to understand what my son was displaying. I would recommend you to other parents and colleagues. I appreciated your open availability for our schedule, your friendly/playful manner with my son, and your expansive knowledge for pediatric physical therapy. Thank you.”
Lori Baudino, PsyD, BC-DMT
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
Masters in Creative Arts Therapy- Dance/Movement Therapy
Dance/Movement Therapy Program, UCLA Mattel Children?s Hospital and CHLA
“When our daughter Eva was 7 weeks old she was referred to Sophie by our lactation consultant. During her first evaluation she was diagnosed with moderate torticollis and plagiocephaly. Each time we had a session with Sophie, she was meticulous in evaluating our daughter’s improvement in a relaxing environment that we were comfortable in. Sophie always handled Eva with her gentle demeanor, and made our infant daughter feel at ease. Sophie gave me clear and precise instructions on managing Eva’s stretches and exercises, and took her time to make certain that I understood what was essential in Eva’s therapy to maximize her outcome. Under Sophie’s care, our daughter’s physical symptoms improved significantly and Eva became free of any hint of torticollis or plagiocephaly. Eva is now an active, healthy, and happy little girl and we can’t imagine where we would be without Sophie. We owe Eva’s well-being to Sophie’s hard work and dedication. Sophie is truly an expert in this field and we are so happy that we are fortunate enough to have her care for Eva.”
Nilou Gabbay, PA (Physician Assistant)
Physician Assistant
Bob Gabbay, MD
Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist
“I noticed my daughter’s head was showing some asymmetry when she was about 14 weeks old. I had spent some time in craniofacial clinic during my training as a Genetic Counselor, so I knew that early intervention is key when trying to correct asymmetry. Sophie came highly recommended through two close friends and our Pediatrician, Dr. Scott Cohen. I was extremely anxious and Sophie fit us in for an appointment right away. My suspicions were correct, and my daughter did in fact have positional plagiocephaly due to congenital muscular torticollis. I was extremely impressed with Sophie as a clinician. Her communication with me about the nature of torticollis, prognosis, and management was always extremely clear. She was consistently warm, patient, and kind and she took the time to answer all of my questions. Sophie’s skill in working with my daughter during the sessions never ceased to amaze me (she could get her into stretches that I had great difficulty with). Sophie helped me to master the stretches and exercises I needed to perform at home multiple times per day. I was most impressed by her detailed assessments and progress reports she put together from photographic studies. The end result – after only 6 weeks of therapy, my daughter’s plagiocephaly had diminished so much that it was no longer visible to the naked eye. It was the best result I could have wished for!”
Zoey Trueblood Wilson, MS
Genetic Counselor
“When my daughter was definitively diagnosed with torticollis and moulded baby syndrome I wanted to find a pediatric physical therapist who specialized in this congenital muscular disorder in order to achieve the best outcome. I understood the treatment for this condition was time sensitive, thus starting early was of the utmost importance. I initially started with a physical therapist at a reputable hospital. However, I quickly realized that the staff there predominantly treats adult patients. My pediatrician then referred me to Dr. Tritasavit and I’m so grateful I brought my daughter to her. I immediately felt in great hands under her care! The fact that Sophie primarily treats patients with this condition was very reassuring to me and Sophie’s expertise exuded during her treatment sessions with my daughter. She is so gentle yet effective in her techniques and teaching methods. She was an incredible resource and source of support during our treatment and Sophie was always available for any questions in between sessions. I would highly recommend her without any hesitation.”
Yvette Scott, DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine)
Internal Medicine, WLA VA Medical Center
Assistant Clinical Professor, UCLA School of Medicine
